#ShowUp for Netball

Coverage of the 2018 Grand Final is underway on Sky Sports Mix and Main Event on Saturday from 4.30pm with centre pass at 5pm

By Paul Prenderville

Last Updated: 17/07/18 5:30pm

As part of Sky Sports and the Women's Sport Trust campaign to #ShowUp and watch female sport in this country, we have spoken to coaches and players from the Superleague to tell us about how they got into sport, how they've been inspired and why you should watch the Vitality Superleague.

A year which saw England claim Commonwealth gold for the first time in their history has continued with another thrilling domestic season.

The 2018 campaign will finish this Saturday when Wasps take on Loughborough Lightning in the Grand Final and ahead of the action, we've been finding out how and why sport has played such a big part of the players' lives.

Some of the Superleague's best-known names tell us why the Copper Box is where you need to #ShowUp as the season reaches its conclusion and then make sure you are following England in the build-up to the World Cup next year and the 2019 Vitality Superleague season.

When I was younger netball wasn't on TV so I didn't watch that all the time but I remember getting up at ridiculous hours for the Commonwealth Games and, as a youngster playing, that was fantastic for me.

But I wanted to see it so I remember my mum took me to an international game in London and it was the best thing ever, just to be able to watch the physicality and the intensity of players.

I wanted to watch it more but it wasn't in our faces enough but now it's on Sky Sports, we have fans and loads of children who come to watch us - and it's great that they are all showing up!

There is a huge buzz about netball now, from the Roses at the top to participation in general with ladies coming back to netball when they haven't played since they were 15 and they are just as inspired watching on TV and coming to the venues to watch our league.

All the sports are inspiring each other, cricket, hockey, football are all pushing to be noticed, to be full-time athletes and to be seen on TV as well as stadiums and arenas!

It is a great initiative and I think back to when I was a young girl and my dad and my grandad took me to football matches.

My dad was disgusted that I was an Everton fan but he still took me to watch Man City and my grandad took me to watch Everton.

Now we are seeing how big female football is in this country and their WhatIf campaign is a great idea and the two can work really well together - they have the ability to get young women involved in sport and empowered by it deserves support.

Nowadays taking children to sport so they can see how cool it really is, see what female sports stars we have - it's important to keep promoting that message and look to parents to help do that to show what the rewards can be in sport.

Netball is so physical, it's so fast, there is something happening from end to end with goals scored in constant. People who come to watch, especially men, get quite a shock when they realise what it takes to play in a high-quality netball match.

Sara Bayman has played netball in Australia and admits while there are improvements there is still more to do in the UK

Women's sport is now on the agenda in the UK - that's the first time we've really been able to say that.

People taking note and being interested is the first step and we as players have a responsibility to make sure once they come to a game that they want to come back.

For young girls the visibility of roles models in women's sport is a huge part of things and #ShowUp is about getting people there.

It is a very different experience to men's sport with the accessibility at games, it is an experience that we should keep in women's sport

Female athletes have been doing that but they have not been getting the attendances they deserve - now we want to build confidence in female sport that if the people come, they will come back.

I've always been a big football fan, playing and watching but sport in general for me is great and anything I can watch I will watch and making women's sport more of an option then I will go along but it's about visibility. Even as someone who is in women's sport, we don't always know what cricket matches, rugby matches are on and #ShowUp can signpost that.

Kadeen Corbin remembers going to watch international netball when she was a girl

Since netball has been on TV, commercially it has been great, we have got more people watching it and interested in playing netball.

It is great that the audience we get for every game is very mixed now. It is great to see a range of people at our games. It is nice to see that because our sport is female dominated but it is great that we get that support from every single person in the country.

My dad played cricket so I was also around the cricket ground when I was growing up. I was also in the gymnastic arena so I have seen multiple sports but I have enjoyed being around people that enjoy that one particular sport. With cricket, when I used to watch my Dad, I would sit at the side and we would hear the rest of the pavilion go crazy.

It is fierce, it is passionate. Everyone who goes out is raring to go. You have to come to netball - we are the No 1 female sport in this country. Why not come?! More and more women and girls are playing netball in this country. Participation rates are going up and we have just won Gold at the Commonwealth Games!

It is one of the best sports in this country and I am absolutely loving that I am playing it.

NATALIE PANAGARRY - LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING

Natalie Panagarry's passion for sport was evident from a young age

When I was younger I just had a real passion for sport - my mum and dad said that's all I would do, no matter what sport it was and my teacher saw something in me in netball and took me off to my local club when I was 9/10 years-old.

Why did I carry on? Why do I still play sport now? It's all about friends, peers and that tight-knit group that just allowed me to be myself playing sport.

People are now starting to see just how good women's sport can be - how fast, how physical and how many amazing women athletes we have.

Australia and New Zealand are the top leagues but each year we are edging that bit closer with our competition.

The Commonwealth Games gold has got people out there and has set a standard for how fantastic our sport can be and now as athletes we have to take responsibility for putting on a show and showing everyone how good it can be.

NATALIE HAYTHORNTHWAITE - WASPS

Natalie Haythornthwaite is keen to the #ShowUp message grow

My mum is the biggest netball 'keeno' on the planet so I went to games and grew up with netball all over my house so women's sport has always been huge in my household.

I knew from a young age all about the England team so I was really lucky to learn about netball and women's sport.

Now it's incredible to see how it has grown, especially our league. When we first had a Superleague there were literally three benches and that was the crowd..

Now we fill out 2,500/3,000 seats - my mum used to be the person I would see in the crowd, now I can't even find her because so many people are coming to watch us and everyone knows about netball.

The #ShowUp campaign has been such a good idea and the coverage is great but we need to spreading that message to get women's sport growing to what we have seen in the States and in Australia.

We need to get people at the games, talking about games and tweeting about them - the more we talk about it and put it in people's faces the more it will be acknowledged.

It's all eyes on next week's Grand Final as the 2018 campaign reaches its dramatic conclusion live on Sky Sports Mix and Main Event with coverage of Wasps v Loughborough underway on Saturday from 4.30pm and centre pass at 5pm

You can now receive all the latest Vitality Superleague news and more on your personal devices. The Sky Sports mobile app will keep you up to date with the latest news from your favourite sports, including netball - here's how to receive the alerts you want.